ArtDeadline.Com Dan McCleary in 'Space+Time'

New York, NY (Chelsea) - All the works in this show share a strong element of stillness and reflection, of keen observation. There is a sense of removal, isolation, reserve and distance emanating from them. Whether it is a Mars landscape, a phrase from the writing of H.P. Lovecraft or a portrait rendered as still life. There is a thoughtfulness in the work that could reflect long hours of toil in the studio, mixing colors or preparing a surface. Or it might be a meditation on how we live right now—a reminder of our evermore crowded and compromised environment, where space and time become luxuries. Sublime abstractions.

Dan McCleary approaches his portraits in a direct and straightforward manner, plainly, without embellishment or flourish. His people are self-possessed, anchored by an inner strength and calm, introspective, as though encountered while deep in thought. In McCleary’s paintings the objects and elements are pared down, providing a minimum of necessary information to form a narrative. McCleary paints directly from life, building sets in his studio and using models he has painted on many occasions.

David Clarkson takes us away from planet Earth to Mars. Clarkson gives us beautiful barren landscapes to consider—real, not imagined, rendered from actual images available to the public on the Internet, by way of NASA cams. The red-tinted uninhabited landscape looks eerie, empty, hostile, lacking everything that life needs, but Clarkson thinks up ways that we could survive there if necessary. He builds models of possible facilities for everything from growing food, to underground dwellings tailored to human needs. These models become exquisite sculptures of their own.

Nicolas Rule continues his investigation of phrases written by H.P. Lovecraft. The words themselves lend structure to, and a point of departure for, his real exploration of color, texture, and abstraction. With a fine touch, the words fade in and out, drip and pool, and in a variety of repetitions, suggesting some strange and haunted otherness, they float in space and move in time.

David Clarkson lives and works in New York City. He has exhibited his work regularly since 1980, in Canada, the United States and, recently, in Germany. Dan McCleary lives and works in Los Angeles, where he grew up. He exhibits with Rebecca Ibel, Columbus, Ohio, and Carl Berg Gallery, Los Angeles. Nicolas Rule lives and works in New York City and has been in several group shows at Dinter Fine Art since it opened in 2004, where he had a solo exhibition in 2007.

The exhibition remains on view through June 14. Please note the gallery will be closed June 3–7.

Show Information:

Dates: April 24, 2008 - June 14, 2008
Days of Week: Tuesday-Saturday
Target Audience: General Audience
Time: Tues-Sat 11-6 pm

Venue Information:

Dinter Fine Art
547 West 27 Street
New York NY 10001
Contact Phone: 212-947-2818

* image: Work by Dan McCleary - “Security Guard” 2008 oil on canvas 44.75 x 40 inches